Weathered Changes
by Light Envy
Summary: A forgotten savior, a lonely boy, two destinies. Collided. How will the two worlds handle this change? Slash/yaoi inevitable. don't like don't read
1. Intro to Sarcasm

Weathered Changes

A Short, Mildly Sarcastic, Intro

On a boring street, where all the houses are almost identical, and the only differences are the plans growing around them, live boring, ordinary, families. At least, that is what one family in particular would have others believe. You see, the Dursley's would be considered perfectly (boringly) ordinary. A married (straight) couple and their young son.

Unfortunately for them, they will always be anything but ordinary. A tall skinny woman, with a long neck for looking over fences and bushes. Kinda horse or giraffe like. A large, fat man, with a thick mustache and little neck. Looked a bit like a walrus. And a boy who was as wide as he was tall. Looked like a pig in a wig that could out-weigh and out-bully a wild boar, who was well on his way to rivaling the weight of a baby whale.

They try to act normal, but they aren't. they have a dark secret. And that secret is what this story is about. After all, what ordinary, perfectly..._normal_...family keep a small three year old boy in a cupboard? Not any. At least, I hope not. That would be disturbing. But that is what these people do. That's right. They're keeping a three year old child inside a closet. A small closed...under some stairs...in a hallway...yea, you get the picture.

They keep him there to keep him out of sight. Him, and the bruises they inflicted on him. They hurt him to keep him downtrodden and in an attempt to 'beat the freakishness out of him.' The only thing that they had right about this child was that he wasn't normal. Not by the standards of their society. No, he's deffinetly not ordinary, because he is a young wizard. A future wand waving, magic using, potion brewing, broom flying, wizard. The counter part to a witch. Yet even by wizarding standards, he is not normal.

He's a rare, one of a kind, survivor of a curse that has killed thousands, perhaps millions, of people. And for that, he is known as the Boy-Who-Lived among this world's magical population. He's also known as their savior. That's right. This abused little boy, is considered their savior. Because he survived what most, including his parents, didn't.

But enough about that. Let's focus on that extraordinary, ordinary family, or more specifically, the little boy that they abuse.

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AN: Yes, I know. It's short. *sigh* it may get longer in the future and this is my first story so please be kind and review.

Questions and compliments *hinthint* would be appreciated, rude flames will be flamed...publicly.


	2. Unknown Complications

Unknown Complications

A small boy in ragged, overly large clothes, was laying in a shed behind the house of number 4 Privet Drive. He was bruised, had various broken bones, and was bleeding profusely from his head, left leg, and arms. Although one wouldn't be able to notice that by looking at his already blood-stained clothes. Eyes barely open, and breathing harshly, the badly abused, seemingly toddler aged, child wished with all his heart and soul that he could have a family. Someone that would love him. Someone who would play with him and not bully him. Someone that would never intentionally harm him.

As the child lost his hold on consciousness, he felt something, or someone, respond to his most desperate wish. He smiled then, because whatever it was felt like a warm, loving hug. And he let go...

If anyone were to have looked passed number four Privet Drive's house and into the backyard that night, they would have seen green tendrils of light wrap themselves around and _into_ the shed. They would have seen them glow brightly and, with a large gust of wind that carried the faint sound of a child's laughter, would've seen them sink back into the earth from whence they came.

Hundreds of miles away in a castle, unseen by normal folk, in an office in one of the tallest towers, as small trinket that was brightly glowing and spinning wildly went still and dark. Going unnoticed by all but a large beautiful red bird that simply bowed it's regal head, sang sadly, and turned to look out the window. It won't be for many years before anyone who cared found the child missing, or even notice the gadget's stillness. And it would be a few years after that before a way to bring the child back would be found. Possibly. But that is then, for now all others shall remain ignorant of the changes taking place in the world, and the rearranging of fate's scheme's. Sometimes, ignorance _is_ bliss.

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AN: Darn! even shorter!...I promise the second Chapter will be longer! I'm just...not very good at giving my stories a good start. please be patient with this novice! As usual, read and review if ya feel like it.


	3. Meeting of Outcasts

Meeting of Outcasts

Helena Strife was walking up the mountain trail with her three year old son, Cloud, when she felt a strong gust of wind. With it came the sound of a soft thump behind a nearby bush. Little Cloud had heard it too, and pulled from his mother's startled grip to head over to the bush for a look. What he saw was startling and he immediately looked to his mother. "Mama! Look Mama! Dey hewt! Dey bweedin'! Come! Look!" he yelled.

Concerned by her son's words and frantic waving, Helena hurried over to her son to see what it was he found. There in the bushes was what looked to be, at first, a pile of black and blue mangled flesh. Shocked, and a bit frightened, she pulled Cloud back behind her and took a cautious look closer. Closer inspection revealed that the broken bundle before her was, in fact, a child. A badly hurt child. Now upset and concerned, she reached over to check for a pulse and was interrupted by the child's sudden, ragged and pained, intake of breath. This apparently was too much for the child, who let out a small pained whimper and seemed to wake a little.

A heavily swollen and blackened eye opened and revealed a sliver of bright emerald green, darkened with pain, before quickly shutting again. The child let loose a low moan before trying to shift away from it's two watchers. Surprised, Helena tried to stop the child and prevent further harm from coming to them. The moment she touch them, however, the child flinched and began mumbling frantically, "Sowwy! Sowwy! No hewt! No hewt! Peez! Peez!"

Dismayed, she rushed to reassure them, "No, no child. I won't hurt you. I promise. I'll help you! I'll help stop the hurt. Just calm down. Calm down little one."

Breathing heavily, nearly panting form pain, panic, and exhaustion, the child stilled and asked tentatively, "p'miss?"

Little Cloud seeing this new person possibly giving in said, "yea! Momma p'omiss! She nice! I p'omiss too! An' you c'n be my fwend! I nevew gotted a fwend 'affor!"

At the sound of Cloud's young voice, the child tensed at first, then, surprisingly, he relaxed and replied, "No me too. I-I liking dat. Fwends," then, apparently exhaustion getting to the child, they seemed to pass out.

Helena, seeing this, mad a quick decision, and picked the child up gently. "Come, Cloud. Let's get the little one home quickly so i can fix this one's hurts." "Okay, Momma."

As the two hurried down the trail to their home, Cloud began a constant stream of chatter about how he and his new friend were gonna be best friends and what they were going to do together when the other was all better. Helena gave the appropriate answers and noises of agreement or disagreement through out the constant speech, but her mind was on the injured child in her arms. Who could do such a thing to a child? And why?

As the thoughts ran through her head, she felt her son grab her dress. Tuning back into the world, she realized that they had made it to the town. She gave a reassuring pat to Cloud's head when she saw the usual glares and sneers that the towns people sent them. Seeing this and remembering their reactions to what they view as outsiders, she thought, 'yes. These people would be quite capable of harming a child. And out of nothing but baseless spite, too.'

Glaring coldly back, she held her precious bundle closer and hurried herself and Cloud to their home. Thankfully, nobody stopped them and they mad it in a few short moments. Quickly placing the child on the sofa, she directed Cloud to get the spare sheets from the linen closet and went to collect the medical supplies herself. That and the Cure materia that she kept hidden in her mattress.

When she returned to the child, she immediately set about caring for them. First gently taking off the rags the child wore as clothing and then gently washing away the dirt and blood, they discovered that the child's gender was male and quite malnourished. She could count his ribs and each individual vertebrae! Not to mention the wrist and ankle bones standing out sharply. Shaking her head, she used Cura (the currently strongest spell she could use), focusing on the more dangerous injuries, like the broken or fractured bones and possible internal bleeding. Then gently holding his mouth open poured a Potion into it using a gentle massaging motion on his throat to get him to swallow. This took care of the rest of the damage.

The pain gone, the small boy sank deeper into an easier, more natural, sleep. Cloud, realizing that she was done, held up the sheet he had grabbed earlier and said, "naptime?"

Smiling tiredly she nodded, "yes, naptime." (Hey! using Cura took a lot outta her!) Cloud smiled, then climbed onto the sofa, next to the boy, and pulled the sheet over the both of them before hugging his new friend closer. This drew a tired laugh from Helena and she leaned forward and gave both children a kiss on the forehead, taking note that her new charge was more than a bit smaller that Cloud. She was rewarded with a smile from Cloud and, surprisingly, the unconscious boy next to him. "Sweet dreams, little ones," she said. Then headed for her room.

Once in her room, she laid down to rest as well. But, as she lay there, she thought about the towns people and how they might accept her new charge. She had decided to keep him so that Cloud could have a brother and playmate, and also because whoever left him in that state obviously didn't want him. She was pretty sure that he townspeople would give her new charge the same welcome that they gave her and Cloud. A somwat hostile one. The people of Nibelhiem tended to shun them and either overcharge their food or refuse to sell them any. Little Cloud didn't have any friends since the parents tried to keep their children from him. All because she wasn't originally from there.

She and her late husband had originally lived in the forest at the base of Mt. Nibel. They were each the last survivors of the original Mountain People. That she knew of anyway. The rest were probably spread out and/or died of disease and famine years ago. Other survivors were few and she wasn't sure if there were anymore. She and her husband had moved to Nibelhiem in hopes of a new life and out of need to be near or on the mountain.

Since no one in town would sell anything at a reasonable price, her husband had took to hunting and trapping for food. One day, when he left to check on some of the snare traps, a roar of a Nibel Dragon was heard. Her husband never returned that night. She still blamed Nibelheim. Cloud hadn't been born yet. He was three months too late.

No matter how much Nibelheim may hate her and her son, she will always hate them just as much. Because of their prejudice, she was deprived of her husband and Cloud, his father.

As she closed her eyes for a short nap, trusting Cloud to wake her when he and the little one awoke, she vowed to make sure her new charge was well taken care of. That he and Cloud would have a bright future ahead of them. Yes, no matter how much the odds were against them, they would pull through and survive. Together.

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AN: Yay! Another chapter! And longer too! Now don't expect chapters to come this quickly. I started writing this story like...three weeks ago. Heck! The prologue and the first chapter has been done for two of those weeks! I hope this is much better and a good start.

About Helena using Cura: her thoughts implied that she and Cloud tend to received a lot of hostilities in town. that could have come down to violence which would give her experience in using that materia. Of course she's only strong enough magically to use Cura once a day. She's not a fighter after all.

Thank you all for reading! And thankyou to those who placed this in their favorites and/or alerts (7 of each! whoot!) and thankyou candinaru25 for your review! I've glad you love it! your my first reviewer! here's a net cookie! program your favorite flavor! yum!

Review all you beautiful readers! Remember, rude flames will be flamed publicly. I will consider advise tho. In fact! It would be much appreciated.


	4. Hi! What's Your Name?

Chap.3: Hi! What's Your Name?

It woke up feeling better that It ever had before. It was warm and comfortable and didn't feel almost any pain. The lack of sharp pain confused It. The Skinny Lady and Large Man never neglected to wake It with pain before, no matter how much It begged. it was only mildly sore, as if It only pulled the itchy plants out of the ground. It also felt a heavy pressure across It's chest. Lit It wrapped the thin sheet It was given by the Skinny Lady around Itself too tight. But instead of uncomfortable, It felt protected. Safe. It didn't want to open It's eyes for fear of that feeling ending, and that the pain would come back. Then It felt it. Whatever it was that was wrapped around It moved! Holding very still, It listened carefully for any hint of what that was.

Then It heard someone breathing. Not It's own, because It was holding It's breath. Drawing up all of It's courage, It opened It's eyes and saw...golden blond hair! It blinked in surprise and twitched a little. It was so bright!. It had never seen that shade of blond before. Then again It has only ever see the Large Man, Skinny Lady, and Round Boy. It also had a very vague memory of flame red hair and deep ebony black hair like It's own, but the memory left It as quick as it came and It dismissed it as nothing. Then It remembered the night image from when It was sleeping. Maybe it was real? There was only one way to find out. It hoped there would be no pain from doing this...

~o~

Cloud woke from a nice nap feeling something off. ... There it was again! Something had poked him in the chest! It didn't hurt. Actually he barely felt it and kinda tickled. Opening his eyes, he realized that he had his are wrapped around something. So, raising his head from it's down position, he took a look at what it was. Curious sapphires met frightened and confused emeralds.

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AN: And that's it! sorry for the long wait for something sooo short! I just couldn't think of anything!

GAH! if you left already you suck! Cause I was just JOKING! lmao!

Moooving right along!

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After a moment of staring. Cloud remembered what happened earlier in the day and gave the boy he was holding a bright happy smile. The smaller boy looked surprised and the returned the smile shyly. Cloud's smile turned into a grin and he huggled (yes, huggled!) the surprised and shocked boy. "Hi! Do you member wat we p'mised? We fwends now! We's gonna haveses lots o' fun! Bah fewst we's gotsta waked up momma! Cause we's gotsta eat afta a nap so's dat we can pway! And-OH! My nems Cwoud, wat's yers?"

Cloud had said all of this very fast and in an excited way. all the while bouncing in place still hugging the very dazed and confused boy they found. When he didn't receive an answer right away, he looked down at his new friend. What he saw caused him to stop and drop his smile a little. The other boy was looking back at him with a confused and sad look in his eyes.

Confused and a little upset, Cloud asked, "yew won' tew me yer nem?"

Seeing Cloud's upset face when he shook his head, the boy quickly explained, "don' 'aba nem"

Shocked, Cloud asked, "No, nem?"

"Nuh uh."

"Weelly?"

"Uh huh."

Little Cloud was astonished. Someone without a name? That's just not right. So, with a determined expression on his little face, Cloud rolled off of the sofa and stood up. Then he grabbed his nameless friend's wrist and gently, yet insistently, tugged him off of the sofa as well. Pulling the other boy behind him, he headed towards his mother's room. He spoke as he went, explaining, "den we's gotsta waked up momma an' ask hew ta gib yews a nem. Eby body's gotsta 'aba nem. An' dat meens yew too!"

With that said, he pushed into his mother's room and walked straight up to her bed. All the while, still dragging the other boy, who looked to be in shock. Ignoring this, Cloud shook his mother's shoulder hard enough to shake her whole body. "Wake up Momma! Ids and emewdensy!"

~o~

Helena abruptly woke to being shaken by her son, mumbling, "I'm up, I'm up. No more shaking please."

Expecting the usual giggle accompanied by a 'Up now!' she instead received a frantic whine and a 'Momma! 'mewdensy!' That got her to wake up much more quickly than usual. Sitting up, eyes wide open, she looked towards cloud and saw his determined expression. A swift movement also brought her attention to the black haired child who hid behind Cloud, holding onto the back of his shirt. Peeking out with one big green eye, he saw her looking and swiftly hid his face in Cloud's shirt again. 'Cute!'

Turning her attention back to Cloud, shaking off the distracting cuteness, she asked, "what's the matter? Neither of you are hurt, are you?" Seeing Cloud shake his head 'no' she tried again, "then what is it? Are you hungry?" Another head shake. "I can't help you if I don't know what's wrong, baby."

Cloud huffed a little and pointed at the boy behind him, "'e don' 'aba nem! We wan' yew to 'elp gib 'ima nem! 'Cause ebybody needs a nem, wight?"

Astonished, she answered 'That's right, hun' and turned to the other boy. "So you don't have a name, little one?" At the shake of his head she asked, "was there something that the people who you lived with called you a lot? To get your attention?" This he nodded at. "What was it, sweetie?" His hesitant answer shocked and appalled her. 'Monster' or 'Freak' was _not_ something you call a child!

Keeping the anger off of her face and out of her voice was a challenge but she managed to lead them to the kitchen without alarming them. Getting them a small snack of dried meat strips and slices of bread, she set about preparing Nibel stew, which consisted of various meats and vegetables caught or found in the snares. Most of the vegetables coming from her small garden in the back.

Using this time to cal herself, she mastered her anger and schooled her face to keep a neutral look. "Well boys dinner will be a few hours. While we wait, we can think up names that you," pointing at the nameless boy, "may like. Okay. I'll start. Umm...how about Jasper?" "I don' wike et," Cloud blurted out. The other boy just shrugged uncomfortably. "Well, I guess this won't be easy then," Helena said with amusement.

"'ow about, um, Cwis*?" Cloud asked. The other boy just looked uncertain. "Hmm...he doesn't look like a Chris. How about Joseph**?" "No pweese. Dat's da nem ofa meen boy at da odder pwace," came the little boy's response. "Not that then... I'm not coming up with very good name today." "How 'bout Wind? 'Cause dat's 'ow he showded up! Da wind bwew 'im 'ere!" Cloud piped up.

"Wind, huh?" Helena giggles, "that would make the both of you my weather babies!" then she got a silly idea and changed her voice into something deeper, mocking a fortune teller, "when Wind and Cloud come together, they shall create a Stormy Weather of Change!"*** Then she collapsed into giggles again, followed by Cloud and the other boy.

"I-I...I w-wike et. I-I wike et acause if I cwose my eyes wen a big won bwose, an 'old muh awms up wike dis," he holds his arms out at his sides (AN: think airplane games lil kids play), "I feew wike I'm fwyin' wike a bewd. Fwee!" The nameless child closed his eyes in bliss, imagining that amazing feeling.

Helena smiled at the happiness he showed, in awe of how much such an emotion changed his face.

Eyes glinting in amusement, she leaned against the table and put her chin in her hand in mock thought. "Well, you do like the name. And," she looks at his messy, spiky hair, "it looks like the wind plays with your hair often. Not only that, but it really _does_ look like the wind brought you to us," she nods decisively, "right then! Wind is a perfect name for you!"

Looking between Cloud and Helena, the newly dubbed Wind asked hopefully, "Wind's meh nem?" At their nods, he bounces happily, beeming a happy smile. "I's gotsa nem! Meh nem is Wind! I EM _WIND_!" Laughing joyfully for the first time in a long time that he can remember of his short life (AN:that sounds confusing even to me), he twirled in happiness. Cloud and Helena smiled and danced along with him, laughing and reveling in his infectious joy and happiness.

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*Chris is actually my nickname...I'm not telling you my gender and that's the only hint you get

**Joseph is the name of my sister's ex...I really, _really **hate**_ him...and if I could get away with it he'd have been in a graveyard years ago!

***That is actually my twist on Mud Budda's prophecy from Storm Riders...an old Japanese, or Chinese, movie that I have...I can't remember where it was made

AN: I'm sorry it took so long! I only really have time to write during my short 15 minute breaks at work! And I had a very small bout of writer's block.

Someone asked about pairings. I will tell you that it will _not_ be Cloud/Harry! Not exactly anyways. But! they will both be in a slash/yaoi relationship. The only hints you will get is that Cloud's partner a rather...common pairing and that Harry will always like redheads. I swear! It's like, the Potter curse! lol anyways how do you like it? Like Harry's new name? I need reviews people! I like them! if you have advise, questions, or even compliments go for it! I like constructive criticism. REMEMBER! Rude flames will be flamed in return...publicly and privately if I must.

Thanks to all of you for reading! 1,000 Hits! WHOOT!


	5. Years Passing On

Chp.4 Years Passing On

Wind's little outburst didn't last very long that day. once he calmed down, he when back to being shy again, hiding behind Cloud. Helena could tell that he didn't trust adults, or was at least wary of them. But, after two weeks of trying to pry him out of his shell, he once again had reason to cheer and dance in joy again. Helena had gotten custody of him through the mayor, as well as adoption papers so that she could claim Wind as family. She had a feeling that the mayor only agreed so that he can blame any wrong doing that Wind might do on her. She didn't care. Wind was ecstatic, laughing and dancing again, with a chant of 'I's gotsa momma! I's gotsa brodew! I's gotsa famwy!' Cloud, of course, joined in on the dance and chant.

Despite small break throughs like those, he remained painfully shy. Two months after his adoption, he was a little less shy. He was brave enough to play outside with Cloud and even brave enough to ask her questions. When Cloud's birthday rolled around, they discovered that he didn't know his age or birthday. So, Cloud declared that they had the same birthday. Helen also decided that they looked close enough in age that they should be known as such too.

A year after they found him, little Wind was a very open and cheerful child. Around the other two Strifes anyway. In town, he stayed closed by their sides, usually behind Cloud, whom seemed to have taken the role of OPBB, or Over Protective Big Brother, seriously. Wind obviously didn't mind, he enjoyed the feeling of being protected. Those two were very close. After a year, they practically acted like twins.

The rest of the townsfolk took his sudden presence in stride and treated him like a Strife. Not well at all. After eight months of living with the very kind Strifes, he couldn't understand why they were treated this way. Unknown to him and the Strifes, this caused the combined genetics of his parents to activate. The compassionate nature of his mother and the vindictive pranking nature of his father combined to make him into a retaliatory prankster. One that never got caught. With his own shy and reclusive nature, no one would suspect him. In fact the townspeople thought it was the local bullies.

He dropped a block or red powder dye into the well water, convinced several mandrakes to make their homes in other people's gardens, and, because they refused them entrance again, put several destructive beetle eggs in the grocery store. The townspeople thought that they were being struck with some sort of plague. the blacksmith, one of the few neutral villagers, figured that karma was finnaly bitting them in their collective asses.

Helena knew who the culprit was, but would never do anything about it as long at there was no evidence. There never was. Eventually Cloud joined in as well. The townspeople cried as the things got worse, the Strifes laughed in private.

The boys had eventually found an almost friend in the blacksmith, who taught them about weapons and how to use them, and surprisingly the mayor's young daughter, Tifa. She defended them from the cruel children of Nibelheim and in return they helped her when she wanted to walk the mountain trails, which wasn't often. She thought it was cute, the way that little Wind hid behind his big brother Cloud.

When she expressed anger towards the mystery pranksters, they decided to leave her out of the loop. When their mother realized that the pranks became less frequent when the blacksmith began teaching them, she began to teach them as well. She taught them maths, science, literature, writing, and her own religion. A religion that, many years later, they would associate with Norse Mythology. She taught them about her gods and their stories (reference Mythical Detective Loki Ragnarok, the anime. It's awesome.), and she taught them of other religions. They liked the dark god of mischief, Loki. He sounded fun. They like hearing about Gaia. And they enjoyed hearing about Karma and it's affects.

While the pranks lessened, they also became more elaborate and intense. Instead of frequent mild pranks, they got rare, somewat cruel, complicated, and well thought out pranks. Ones that were hard to reverse sometimes. Like a very large flock of thunderbirds flying over the village, darkening the skies, and leaving the buildings white with their waste. The phenomenon left all of them baffled and fearing the coming of a larger monster. Wind had no idea that birds would like him so much. Wolves, for a whole month would howl nonstop, close to the edge of the village. when one stop to take a breath, another would stop. The sudden silence at the end of the month left the villagers on edge. Cloud knew that he always liked wolves, that they liked him too was amazing to him.

Time passed and Wind and Cloud learned, laughed, and played. They became proficient in weaponry, Cloud taking to large broadswords, and Wind taking to long thin rapiers and whips. Wind excelled in reading, literature, and arts while being somewat good with animals and plants. Snakes and birds in particular. Cloud excelled in maths and sciences, with musical arts coming in a close second. He got along more with larger animals. Both got along especially well with canines, Cloud more than Wind.

Three years after finding little Wind, all was well. After the boy's sixth birthday, Mrs. Lockheart fell ill. She died half a year later, and misfortune once more began falling on the Strifes, much heavier than ever before.

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AN: Hey guys! sorry for the wait. and it's short too! *pout* I've been distracted by people trying to talk to me when they see that I'm busy. But don't worry! I've got the next chapter started already and it's looking to be even longer! woot! for those who guessed the relationships...you'll see! oh yes! I'm a brat. and YAY! somebody got my Storm Riders Ref.! that made me so happy! for those who might be worried that all the men are gay...well don't worry. there will be some Het...but no yuri...I'm not comfortable with Yuri. Nothing against it! But it's a bit uncomfortable for me to read or write it. Thankyou to all my reviewers! I love you all! Chocobo shaped cookies for all of you!

till next time! Don't forget to review! and remember. constructive critic it welcomed as long as it's helpful. Rude flames will be flamed in return...publicly.

Ja ne minna!


	6. Storm's a Commin!

Storm's a commin'

After Mrs. Lockheart's funeral, the Strife boys went over to Tifa's house every morning, noon, and evening, standing outside her house an hour each time, to see if she would come out. They knew that she was hurting. Unfortunately the only way they could show their support was to be their everyday till she came out, all because her father didn't like them. If she looked out her window, they would wave and she would wave back. This was their routine for a week.

On the seventh morning after the funeral, before the sun fully rose, she snuck out through the window. This being the time that the boys usually began preparations for their pranks, they saw her and met her at the bottom of the rope she was climbing down. Wind noticed what she was carrying first, "Are you gonna walk the trails today? Want us to go with you?"

She jumped when she heard his voice, startled. Trying to calm her breathing, eyes wide, she answered, "No! I'm going to find Momma! She's on the other side of the mountain, and waiting for me. And don't scare me like that!" Adjusting the pack on her shoulder, she considered the now very worried boys. "Maybe you can help me. You guys know the trails the best, since you're always out there. Maybe you know a fast way to the other side?"

Cloud and Wind turned to look at each other in silent conversation, then turned back to Tifa and nodded simultaneously. Cloud spoke up first, "let us get our gear first. Meet us at the mansion. We'll be there in ten or fifteen minutes." Then Wind spoke up, "safety first, after all. Also, we need to grab our practice swords. Monsters are getting bolder lately, and we might need to fight them off. At least we could knock them out."

Tifa paled at the thought of monsters, but nodded determinedly. She waved them off and turned towards the manor, with a distracted air about her.

Cloud and Wind watched her sadly for a few seconds before hurrying back to their home for their things. They know that this trip was futile, but also knew that their friend was too stubborn to be talked out of going. Grabbing their packs and practice weapons, they bid their mother goodbye, explaining that they'd be home in the evening. they rushed to the mansion, fearing that Tifa would get impatient and leave on her own. When they got there, Tifa was, thankfully, still there. When she got a good look at what they had, she blinked in shock. They both had large packs with ropes, hooks, and sleeping bags hanging off them. Cloud's pack had a frying pan and small pot hanging off the back. Both of them also had a weapon. Tifa remembered them mentioning one but didn't realize that they meant it. Cloud had a large sword that was as long as he was tall. It looked like it was made of a dark wood and the blade looked like it was three inches wide. The guard was a copper disk, simply and had rectangular designs. The hilt, wrapped in strips of leather for grip, was long enough to need two hands to hold and then the wooden pommel was crudely shaped like a wolfs' head.

Wind also had a sword, just as long as Cloud's, but the width of the blade was only half as wide. It looked like it was made of light wood but was tinted green*. The guard was larger and one side flared out and down to form a cover one side of the, also two handed, hilt. The pommel had an unfamiliar shape that still looked like a head of some sort.**

As they drew closer, she noticed that both had a barely noticeable shine on the edges. She had the sudden feeling that those swords would do a bit more damage that most wooden blades should. "Are those any good?" She asked once they got close enough. "Are you good at using them?"

Cloud answered since Wind was still talk shy, "we're good enough to kill weak monsters, but only good enough to distract stronger ones, so we'll still have to run from those. Hopefully we won't run into the strong ones this early in the morning. keep an eye and ear out for them anyway." Tifa nodded nervously in agreement, and they headed out. The trail was a bit tricky, with steep climbs, loose rocks and dirt, and a little mud from the morning dew. They didn't run into anything too dangerous on the way up and what they did run into ran away rather than fought. They reached the bridge to the other side of a gorge in about half an hour. They decided to take a break before crossing since Tifa, who was unused to climbing so much, was out of breath and tired. She normally stuck to they trails around the village which was on more level ground.

As they rested, they discussed whether or not to take the bridge. It was old and Cloud and Wind doubted that anyone had crossed it in a long time. They could see that several boards in the middle were missing, but they couldn't tell how wide the gap was. But no matter how much either Wind or Cloud protested and tried to convince her to take the long way, Tifa was stubborn. She was in a hurry and she wanted to see her mother on the other side of the mountain _today_!

"Fine! But if we're gonna cross that bridge, we gotta tie ourselves together with the rope! That way, if one of us falls the others can pull them up," Cloud yelled, exasperated.

And so, they used the rope they had and tied it around their waists with five feet of slack between them. Wind had the idea to tie one end to a good and latch it into the ground by the bridge, just in case. He guesstimated that he needed about 20 feet of slack to they could cross the bridge.* Wind and Cloud had learned their lesson the hard way. Namely a fallen tree breaking in half over a freezing cold creek as they used it as a bridge.

They gathered their courage and, holding both ropes and pack tight, began to cross one by one. Wind went first, edging carefully and holding the rope of the bridge tightly. When he felt the rope around his waist go taught, he tugged on it to signal to Tifa to follow. Tifa swallowed nervously before taking a step forward. As she moved forward, Wind watched her carefully as he kept moving on to keep the rope taught, knowing that Cloud was watching as well. Whenever she looked toward him, he smiled encouragingly. The wind suddenly kicked up, though, and the bridge swayed violently, causing them both to grip the ropes tightly. Wind closed his eyes, knowing that if he looked down now, he would suffer a bout of vertigo. Tifa, on the other hand, did make that mistake. Gut churning, and mind dizzy, she saw the distance between them and certain death. She shut her eyes tightly against the image her mind sent her and held very still in her panic. Cloud watched with worried eyes as his brother and his friend held onto the roped of the bridge and breathed a sigh in relief when the wind let up. He held a position at the end of the bridge, ready to support their weight if they fell. He was holding onto the rope that connected them, his feet behind the posts that the bridge was tied to so that he could use them as leverage.

When the bridge stopped swinging violently and calmed to a gentle sway, Wind opened his eye's and stood straighter, ready to keep going. He looked toward his brother and nodded to show that he was okay, the looked at Tifa, who had crouched down in her fear. "Tifa! Tifa it's alright! The wind stopped, we can keep going now. C'mon, open your eyes." When Tifa finally calmed and she opened her eyes, her wine red looked into emerald green for reassurance and got it. Wind coaxed her to stand with gentle words and tugs on the rope connecting them. Slowly but surely, they made their way further across the bridge. The wind was still going strong but there were no more sudden gusts.

As the rope between Tifa and Cloud became taught, Cloud, too, began crossing. They had reached the halfway point when Wind reached the first missing board. Not looking down and feeling out for the next one with his foot, he called a warning about it to Tifa. When she looked at him with fear in her eyes he quickly instructed her on how to do what he was doing. Cloud, realizing her distress, also began a string of reassurances as well. Being slowed down by the combination of concentrating on not losing his footing and talking Tifa through her difficulties, Wind was quickly joined by the other two just past the halfway point of the bridge.

And then it happened.

Cloud heard a snap and the bridge suddenly sagged down a little. Wind and Tifa also felt the sudden jerk and all three gripped the ropes of the bridge on instinct, with a bit of panic as well. Cloud searched for the source and spotted the ropes holding the boards together fraying. And then there was another snap and drop and he noticed that the very ropes that they were holding onto were fraying as well. Panic gripped him and he frantically yelled, "MOVE! THE ROPES ARE BREAKING!"

Tifa screamed and Wind reacted quickly by turning and grabbing her hand. He pulled her forward with him yelling 'jump!' whenever they reached a gap, Cloud keeping up from behind.

The ropes were breaking too fast and, under the strain of their jumping, the ropes broke completely, the two halves falling and taking the kids with them.

Fortunately the boys' earlier insight came into play and the rope that was secured to the hook in the ground kept them from falling straight down. Unfortunately, being in the middle of the bridge and closer to the far side ensured that when the rope went taught, they would swing back to the other side...right into the rocky wall. Wind and Cloud got lucky. They had curled up, holding onto the rope and ducking their heads down, protecting them from impact. They would have a few scrapes and deep bruising, painful but manageable. More for Wind than Cloud since, although it's been three years, he was largely used to pain.

Tifa on the other hand, hit her head pretty hard on and was knocked out. Cloud recovered quickly and asked if everyone was okay. Wind answered in the positive and was already grabbing the rocky surface of the wall in preparation to climb. When Tifa didn't answer, the two grew worried. Wind climbed quickly to her side and, after examining hr as much as he could, told Cloud that she was 'out cold' with a 'freaking huge knot' on her head.

"C'mon Wind! Climb up her with me. If we climb aath the same time, maybe she wouldn't feel as heavy!" Cloud yelled down.

Wind smirked a little, then climbed up to where Cloud was. When Wind got to him, Cloud sighed in relief when Wind took up some of Tifa's dead weight. Then, as one, they began to climb, finding hand and foot holds easily from all the time they spent climbing the mountain side. Their arms, legs, and hands were aching when they had five feet left to climb. They smiled at each other, feeling accomplished when they heard a mischievous laugh.

They looked up, alarmed, to see the malicious smile of a bomb. Horrified, they saw it do a little twirl in the air, laugh...and suddenly grow! That got them moving. Without saying a word the both of them began climbing back down, trying to get away from the monster above. Perhaps they should have tried their luck and climbed the remaining five feet and see if thy could out run the bomb before it exploded. Maybe they should have hit it to see if the rumors of it shrinking when hit was true. But these were a pair of six year olds. Terrified six year olds with the dead weight of a third pulling them down, and they just wanted to get away from the dangerous, living ball of flame.

Therefore, before they made it six feet down, the flaming creature exploded. The ground below it cracked and slid off the cliff and the rope holding the children up was dislodged. Without the rope to support them, they fell unhindered. As they fell the boys tried to grab at anything to at least slow their descent. Their hands grew bloody and their panic increased, the unconscious Tifa went ignored.

Cloud looked down and saw the ground rushing up to meet them. He covered his face and screamed. Wind heard, and looked to see his brother's face covered and looked down as well. He too screamed and closed his eyes, wishing hard for something to slow their fall and prevent further harm. He suddenly felt himself slowing and energy leaving him. He opened his now tired eyes and saw that his fall was, indeed, slowing. Not only him, but his friend and brother's as well.

When they finally hit the ground, they hit only as hard as if they had simply fallen out of bed. Wind looked at Cloud to see his astonishment at their almost gentle landing. When Cloud looked back at him, he grinned tiredly, yet wildly, and passed out. Cloud didn't blame him for passing out. That had been a terrifying experience. In fact, Cloud passed out too.

* * *

*might be explained later...maybe

** my attempt at describing Cloud's broadsword and Wind's rapier

AN: Ah! Another chapter completed and a much longer one too! Did this count as a cliffhanger? lol things are getting heated up!

Thank you all for your reviews! and thankyou for the advice! i will take it into consideration. Cookies for all that's reviewed!

Am I tired? yes. it is now 3am and I'm out!

Please review! Comments are welcome and constructive critics are appreciated! Rude flames will be flamed publicly, altho i'm glad that i haven't gotten any of those yet.


	7. Darkening Skies

Chp.6 Darkening Skies

Even though he was the last one to lose consciousness, Cloud was the first to wake. He opened his eyes and was dismayed to see that it wasn't a dream. They really had fallen! And everywhere _hurt_! But what about Wind and Tifa? Were they alright?

Working past the pain to sit up and look, he absently noted that it was evening. Tifa was about a foot away from him and still unconscious. Wind was a little further away, about two or three feet from Tifa. Both were breathing steadily. Taking a moment to gather his bearings, he crawled over to Tifa to check her for any more injuries. She had a few scrapes on her arms, legs, and hands. Non of them were bleeding and had scabbed over, so he disregarded them for now. What worried him was the large bump on her head. He remembered his mom telling them once, that head injuries, no matter how small, could be bad. It was also bleeding a bit.

Reaching for his and his brother's packs, which survived the fall, he searched for the bandages that they had brought. Finding them, he brought them over to Tifa, along with the water canteens they also packed. He carefully rinsed the cut on her head, trying not to rub too hard, then wrapped it up, hoping that it wasn't too tight. Then he checked his brother. He seemed to be okay. No bumps on the head. He did have a bunch of little scratches. Then he noticed that Wind's hands were bloody. As if seeing that was a trigger, Cloud suddenly became aware of his won bloody hands...and the pain that they were in. It shocked him that he hadn't noticed that when bandaging Tifa's head. It's a good thing that rinsing the cut on Tifa's head also rinsed off some of the blood on his hands.

Shaking his head to rid himself of these thoughts and trying to organize his scattered brain, he rinsed off the blood on Wind's hands. Then, with practiced hands, he bandaged his brother's hands, wrapping each individual finger. This, he was more familiar with. His brother seemed to always find a new way to hurt his hands and not notice. Neither Cloud nor their mother could figure out how he doesn't notice. Once again shaking his head free of scattered thoughts, he finished off tying the bandages. Then he bandaged his own hands. Hopefully Wind doesn't question him on who got bandaged first. Cloud always got hit for putting himself last. Even if Wind does the same thing.

Drinking what was left of the water in the canteen he used, Cloud looked around at the area they were in. It was a small area separated from the rest of the gorge by rockfalls. He could see that they were lucky not to have landed on those rocks, or any rocks. That brought to mind the weird thing he experienced at the end of the fall. The sudden decrease in the speed of their fall and Wind's strange grin. Strange things always _did_ happen when Wind was feeling strong emotion. Like the time some angry lizard things suddenly tripped at the same time when chasing them. Five creatures, or people, wouldn't or couldn't trip over the same thing at the same time, could they? Or the time when Cloud fell off the well once night and instead of getting hurt, he _bounced_! Wind was watching him then and had panicked. And another time when a villager said something rude about their mother, making Wind very mad. A small sink hole appeared where the man was walking and his whole leg was sucked into the ground. It took two hours to free it, because the ground somehow solidified around it. No one ever questioned these strange happenings, the Strifes because it made Wind uncomfortable, and the villagers because it was abnormal and they didn't acknowledge the abnormal here.

Sighing, Cloud resolved to ask Wind about the possibility of controling the strange abilities later. He put the idea aside and got up to stretch his legs and look for possible paths out of there. He also took a moment to marvel that they hadn't been attacked by a random monster yet. He should just be grateful and keep busy as he waited for one of the other's to wake up.

* * *

When Wind woke up to pain, he thought that the past three years might have been either a fever dream or a delusion. That when he opened his eyes, it would be to the darkness of the Small Space. So he curled up into a ball and whimpered his distress. He had so hoped that it was all real. He then let out a quiet whine, trying to be quiet so that his abusers didn't hear him.

Fortunately for him, Cloud was sitting in a bored stupor near by, and heard the quiet whine. Concerned, knowing that Wind still sometimes woke up like this, he crawled over to his brother and gently shook him awake. "Wind...wake up baby brother. You're safe. It's safe. It's _not_ a dream. We're just outside. C'mon bro, wake up!"

When Wind hesitantly opened his eyes, he didn't see Cloud immediately. He saw the rock walls and hard packed earth, and took this all in with an expression of shock and mild fear. He sat up slowly, mindful of his injuries. Not yet seeing Cloud he let out another soft whine of distress, not recognizing his surroundings. Glad that Tifa wasn't awake to witness his side of Wind, Cloud quietly called out to his brother, trying not to startle him. "Over here baby brother. Behind you. You can look, I'm real."

Wind turned quickly and, with a cry of relief, launched himself at his brother who winced in pain as several bruises were hit. They sat there, holding onto each other for a few minutes. Cloud comforting his brother and reassuring him. Wind, gladly taking that comfort and trying to reorient himself. After a while, finally remembering where they were at and why, Wind reluctantly let go to get a good look around. He took in the rocky surroundings, the packs on the ground, their miraculously intact swords, and the unconscious Tifa. Then he noticed the darkening skies and realized that they were going to be late in getting home. They were soon going to be in trouble!

"Hey, Cloud?"

"Yeah, Wind?"

"How are we gonna get her home?"

"..."

Wind looked over at Cloud and saw him biting his lip in thought. How _were_ they going to get home? Tifa didn't look like she was going to wake up anytime soon. It looked like they were going to have to carry her. But how, and what were they going to do with the packs? What if they were attacked and they had their hands full? It really _was_ a miracle that they hadn't been already. Night was quickly falling and the more vicious monsters came out at night.

"...her to one of our backs."

Cloud was startled out of his thoughts by Wind's voice, but he didn't hear it all.

"Um...repeat that?"

Wind smacked his head and sighed, "I said 'we could tie her to one of our backs'. We still have rope and the ropes around our waists are still good."

Cloud thought about this for a moment. "That's a good idea, but how are we going to carry the extra backpack?"

"Well whoever carries Tifa can carry their pack with it strapped to their front."

"And how will we protect ourselves if we're attacked?"

"The one only carrying one backpack will have their hands free to use their sword."

"Alright. What about Tifa's pack?"

"We take what we need from it and leave the rest. Tifa's dad has plenty of money. He can buy her a new one easily"

A laugh. "True! Okay, I'll carry Tifa and the other pack since I'm stronger. You can protect us, but only defend us and distract any monsters so that we can get away. Then follow us when we're far enough away. How's that sound?"

"Sounds like an idea!"

"Then let's do this!"

Happy to have a plan of action, Cloud helped Wind get the ropes from around his waist and gathered the other remaining ropes, ...after raiding Tifa's bag of course. Then, with Wind's help, got Tifa onto his back, piggy back style, and tied her in place. The ropes were tied, wrapped around their chests and waists. The had her legs also wrapped around his waist and tied together for extra security and even had a rope holding her up in a kinda sitting position.* Then Wind helped him get the pack on in the front. Tifa's arms hung loose, but they didn't want to risk hurting them. With they pack on his front, Cloud suddenly felt like a pregnant woman with a child climbing on her back.** He immediately shook that awkward image away and waited on Wind.

Wind was already holding his pack with Cloud's sword tied onto it. He had his own sword at hand, ready to defend and ready to go. They headed out, following the only trail out that led upward. Wind had to help Cloud over the many loose rocks over the path, the awkward weight on his back and chest throwing off his balance. They made slow progress this way, with very unhelpful jumping in the way once in a while. They had to take many breaks, still tired and sore from their fall. They soon reached they cave system that had markings from previous travelers and hunters to help along the way.

Their luck didn't always hold out, as once a bomb decided that they were easy prey. That was when Wind once again panicked and felt energy drain from him before the monster was blown away by an unseen force. He tried to put it out of his mind, as usual, because it reminded him of Before. This like this is why he used to be Freak. No point in dwelling on it. Soon though, they came across the mako fountain. That was the sign they needed to know that home wasn't too far away now.

Night had completely fallen when they finally could see the town. There were many lights on, but, strangely enough, they seemed centered on the town square. As they got closer, they could see that there were many people there, some holding flashlights, many holding torches. They could hear an argument going on as they approached, the voices angry.

"Should have done something about those damn Strifes a long time ago! Who knows what those hooligans got Tifa into!"

Shouts of agreement.

"They've been gone all day! We should've _never_ allowed our children anywhere near them!"

"We need to find them! What if those boys did_ that _to her?"

"They're _six_, you scatter brained, inbred, son of a lame chocobo!"

That last voice was recognized as their mother. Her strained voice sounded angry, disgusted, and worried. She sounded awfully close to cussing too. Wind was right, they were in sooooo much trouble! Even if the villagers didn't get a say in their punishment, their mother was going to make them regret their trip more than they already did.

Then someone on the outer edge of the crowd saw them.

* * *

AN: AAAHHHH! sorry for the long wait folks! I had to rewrite a few things but this is the best I've got! and chapter 7 is in the works now too! if there are any misspellings, please point them out to me so i can correct them. I write this thing out on paper, type it up on the computer, and use a combination of spell check and dictionaries for anything I might think are misspelled. even has spell check so I can triple check. I'm a bit OCD about these things so any help is appreciated.

*you'll have to use you're imagination for this...i sucked at describing that (grimace)

**I have actually seen this when my 1 1/2 year old nephew jumped on my very pregnant sister's back...she looked very awkward and cursed me quite viciously when I laughed at her instead of helping.

Thankyou everybody! please review! they make me happy. but please remember that rudeness will be publicly addressed in an equally rude manner.


	8. Storm of Flame

Chap.7 Storm of Flame

When the villagers noticed the two boys standing there, bruised, bloody and drooping with exhaustion and weariness, they paid absolutely no attention to their condition. No, they instead zeroed in on the unconscious Tifa tied to Cloud's back. They swarmed them and roughly cut the ropes holding her in place, not caring if Cloud was cut in the process. As they took Tifa away to asses her condition, Helena Strife approached her boys and embarrassed them. She alternately scolded and fussed over their minor wounds. Her fussing grew worse when she saw that Wind's sword had some blood stains on it.

She then took them home, informing them that they were grounded for the next month. The boys just bowed their heads and accepted the punishment, knowing that they deserved it and happy that they made it home.

* * *

For that following week, the villagers would show up at heir house, sometimes in groups of three or four, sometimes more. Each day, they called for blood, demanding public corporal punishment for the boys. Each time, Helena asked what punishment Tifa would have. Each time, the villagers would proclaim her innocence in the incident. Helena, in turn, would basically tell them where they could shove that theory and slam the door in their faces.

During that time, Tifa remained unconscious and never even moved. This only incensed the villagers even more, causing them to be even more aggressive. Tifa's father, when not at the head of the pack, never left her bedside. The angry tension reached its peak on the seventh day. With they boys being grounded, they were unable to pull their pranks. Without the chaotic pranks to distract the villagers, they continued to focus their hate on the Stifes, stewing in their anger. It is unfortunate that it was they boys' pranks that would have prevented what happened on that horrible night.

That night, as the Strife's were sitting down to dinner, the village adults gathered in the town square. An outsider would take note of the tension and air of anticipation around them. all of them carried torches, some of them carried alcohol bottles with cloth sticking out of the opening of the bottles, some of them carried what looked to be wads of dry grasses, and Tifa's father, the Mayor, was holding what looked to be a glowing marble that emanated a small amount of warmth. Mayor Lockheart stood in front of the crowd, looking at each person, seeming to see who was there and who wasn't.

"Today we rid ourselves of the monsters that have plagued our town for more than seven years! They have lived up to their names of Strife and have been nothing but trouble! I praised the day when the gods rid us of their father, preventing more from being spawned. Then, they found another one,_ tripling _our troubles for the past three years! We must be rid of them and stop their spread, before they taint our children! Already, my Tifa has been hurt! They must be taken care of to release my daughter form their spell! Tonight, we must do this! _**TONIGHT**_! We will cleanse our town! Cleanse our mountain!"

The crowd cheered wildly in agreement and the marched off with Mayor Lockheart in the lead. Unnoticed by them, they all had the glow of mako in their eyes. That and madness, all gained from the taint of the mako in the air caused by the reactor not far from the village. The glow from the taint of mako and the madness from something else hidden in that reactor.

As the mad mob marched on towards the Strife home, with mad grins on their faces, one person takes notice.

* * *

Old Keito was on his way home after closing up his shop when he heard the commotion. Why the others were cheering, he didn't know, but the look in their eyes told him that they were up to no good. When they marched off, he discreetly followed. When he realized that they were stopping in front of the Strife house, he knew that disaster was at hand. When the first Molotov was thrown, he immediately ran forward, avoiding the crowd, and went around the back to find a way into the house. When he saw the back door, he thanked Gaia that they were too stupid to block the exits. When he saw how fact the fire had already spread, he cursed all things wooden. When he heard cries of pain, anger, and fear, he moved faster than he thought his old body could. What he saw, could make a war veteran cry.

* * *

When something crashed thru the window and caught the floor on fire, Helena immediately smothered the flames with the thick blankets on the couch. As the last flame was smothered, she heard yells and loud thumps on the walls outside and roof. She looked out the window and saw people with torches and more Molotovs, throwing various other things at the house, much of it on fire. She became angry and slightly afraid. Why were they doing this? Telling the boys to check out the back door and to run if it was clear, she headed towards the front door, intent on talking some sense into those idiots. Or at least to get answers.

Reaching the front door, she used caution and looked out the small window that was set in it. To her shock, she saw that the massive amount of flammable objects being thrown at her house. The Mayor himself at the front! What disturbed her the most were the grins on their faces, without a trace of sanity in sight. Angrily, she opened the door with a fierce scowl on her face, despite the fear she felt inside. "What they _Hel_ do you thing you're doing? Why are you attacking our home? Have you all lost your damned minds?"

It was the Mayor who answered, with an ever growing insane look in his eyes. "Dear 'lady'. We have never thought more clearly. We have simply come to rid our town of it's taint. I'm glad that you have come out. One must always start at the source after all."

And with those words he pulled out the small green glowing orb and held it up towards her. Helena, recognizing it as materia, took a step back in shock. Unknown to her, Wind and Cloud had come up behind her. They had been too worried for her to leave and had stayed, with the foolish thought of helping her somehow.

Mayor Lockheart saw them and, if possible, his grin grew even wider. "Let's try this in one shot, shall we?"

Helena turned to shut the door, but saw the boys. Instead she shoved them further back just as a shout of 'FIRE!' was heard. Then all she felt was pain flaring in her back as it was torn and burned by the fireball the materia produced. Distantly she heard screaming that she dimly recognized as her own and the twin shouts of 'MOMA!' from her boys. Knowing that they were in danger, she struggled to get up, move, and tell them to run. But all she could manage was a groan of pain.

The boys were horrified! Their mother was hurt badly and her back was nothing but a torn, blackened, and burnt slab of flesh. And the back of her dress was still burning! But even as they were reeling in shock, their bodies moved on auto, bending down to help their mother up and out of danger. Years of dealing with the village bullies's kick-em-while-they're-down mentality conditioning them to help each other move quickly. But their mother was badly injured and couldn't move on her own. She was also heavier than them. So, as they struggled to move their mother, they Mayor took advantage of their distraction and took aim once again.

As the Mayor concentrated his energy into the materia, Cloud and Wind tried desperately to move their mother. When Cloud instinctively looked up to watch for another attack, he saw the Mayor opening his mouth for another attack command, a wicked grin playing on his lips. Understanding what was about to happen, he lunged across his downed mother at his brother, intending to protect him the best he could from the fireball to come. Wind looked up as soon as Cloud had him in his protective embrace. When he saw the power building up in the materia in the Mayor's hand, he prayed. he desperately prayed fro something or someone to protect them. His panic was strong as he clutched at his brother's protective arms. As the demented Mayor shouted out the spell once again, Wind shut his eyes tight and screamed alongside his brother as burning, fiery pain covered his entire left side. And then nothing.

* * *

AN: ugh! I feel sick from writing this chapter! Poor Helena! poor kids! I hate fanatics like those! and yes if you're a fanatic like that then I _do_ mean offense! People like those I wrote about in this chapter need to be thrown into an asylum!

I hope that you'll like Old Keito! can you guess who he is? He is gonna be one of the first original characters that I create. He might not last very long but I hope that you gain a liking for him in this story!

Thankyou all for your wonderful reviews! especially yours Saturnblue! I like long rants like those! it's encouraging and entertaining!

All of you, please review! and remember (if you can't :p) all flames should be helpful! Rudeness will be returned publicly! and trust me. I hurt my friend's feelings and I wasn't even talking about them with my insults.


	9. Goodbye

Chp.8 Goodbye

Keito nervously paced in a run down hallway, fingering his thin rapier. He had stayed awake all night, ensuring that this particular hallway was clear of monsters. He hated that being there was necessary, but it couldn't be helped if he didn't want others to discover what he was hiding. His face darkened at that thought. Shameful. Simply shameful, what he witnessed. If he still had his old strength, he would have left that night. Although, what he was hiding might have hindered that anyway. Those poor souls. To be attacked in such a manner. The missus might not even make it. He wasn't a healer, and she had inhaled too much smoke on top of the damage to her back. To make it worse, she had contracted a fever and the burnt flesh of her back looked like it was becoming infected. He may be experienced with burns in his line of work, but these were too severe.

The boys weren't nearly as bad off, despite the how much skin was damaged, but there would be scars. He had no doubt that they would survive. Like their mother, they were currently unconscious. He, himself, was quite lucky that he village of idiots believed that they were dead and had just left when he got to them. He congratulated himself on convincing them that he was going to another far off town to get more materials for his forge. Otherwise he might have joined them in their journey to the Lifestream. He barely got them out of the burning rubble and safely where they currently were as it was.

Coughing a bit, he took one more look around before returning to the room where the village pariahs were laying. He checked and changed the dressings on their bandages, wincing at the now obvious infection on the woman's back, then chose a comfortable old chair to rest in. After blocking the door of course.

* * *

Keito had dozed off for a few hours when he was awoken by a groan and a whisper. Sitting up and blinking sleep out of his eyes, he looked for the source. Miss Helena was shifting in her sleep and looked to be waking up. Keito quickly got up and moved toward he, ready to get or do anything he needed. He also picked up a bottle of pain killers, just in case felt up to swallowing the pills. He knelt by her bed and waited for her to open her eyes or say something. When she did none of these things, he wrote it off as a false alarm. He should've known better. The boys were most likely to wake before her, being less seriously injured. He looked over to where they were curled up together on the other bed. It had been somewhat difficult treating their burns as they clung to each other, refusing to let go even while unconscious. It's the same position that they were in when he pulled them out of that house. A position that made it quite difficult to pull them out. He had acquired several minor burns before he gave up on picking them up separately, and just dragged them out by their shirts.

He hoped that they would be waking soon. He wanted them to at least be able to say goodbye if their mother didn't make it. Which looked more and more likely. It had been a week since the fire. While their mother hadn't stirred in this time (till now anyways), the boys woke only briefly and fell back into slumber when one saw the other. Sometimes, if he can catch them in their brief waking moments, he can get them to take a sip of water or cold broth. There was almost always some resistance from Wind.

The both of them were healing quickly. Blistered, red, puffy skin was looking more pink and, thanks to his lotions, the eventual scars won't be stiff and hard to move with. The scaring covered Wind's entire left side and Cloud's entire right side. The scars were taking up a strange whirling pattern in lines as they healed, like someone drew them there and then carved over the pattern with a scalpel. Not that Keito realized how strange they were. He wouldn't be able to tell, since he's never dealt with burns as bad as these. He only praised Gaia that they were healing so well. Just as he prayed for Helena's well being.

* * *

As Keito was gently cleaning Helena's face with a cool wet cloth to keep her fever down, he heard one of the boys groan. He hoped that they would be more coherent his time, and that they would be well enough to help him change their mother's, and their own, bandages soon. None of them were very heavy, but he was old. His old bones can only take so much abuse and he should've retired years ago. Teaching these boys how to fight with a blade was pushing his limits before the incident. Admittedly, he didn't really care. It was a joy to teach them.

He shook his head as his own rambling thoughts began to confuse him, and turned back to the boys. This time, it seemed, they looked to be waking up fully. Wind's eyes were struggling to open themselves, moving wildly under their lids.

* * *

When Wind awoke to burning pain all over the left side of his body and face, he almost panicked again. The panic was halted in it's tracks, though, by the familiar feeling of his brother's arms wrapped around him. Relaxing into his brother's comforting embrace, he attempted to open his eyes. He was able to open his right eye, but this left remained stubbornly shut. it hurt to try to force it open, so he left it alone. Focusing on what was in front of him, he saw his brother's sleeping face, and his new burns. Worried, and beginning to panic again, he made a move to wake his brother to make sure he was okay. When he did, someone grabbed his hands, stopping him. Startled he quickly looked up.

Old Man Keito was standing over them, shaking his head 'no' in warning. "Yer brother be as hurt as you. Shaking him would be a fair bit painful to him. Yer pain tolerance must be rather high to be able to move as well as yeh are. Let him rest fer now. Can yeh handle drinken' a bit o' broth? Or would yeh rather a glass o' water?"

Wind, now that it was brought to his attention, realized that he _was _very thirsty. But when he opened his mouth to say so, all that came out was a very raspy 'waa...' that hurt his throat. Keito got the idea, though, and pored a glass of water and placed a reed straw in it so Wind could drink it easier. "Yer lucky that I still had some o' these left over from the last batch you and yer brother collected. Ahm pretty sure that he won't be letting go of yeh till he wakes up."

Wind had to lean up a bit to reach the straw from his brother's protective grip. When he had his fill, he leaned back with a quiet 'thank you'. Keito just nodded back and set the glass on the side table. As the old man sat in a old chair next to the bed, Wind looked around as much as he could. Which wasn't much, with Cloud holding onto him they way he is. The room that they were in, from what he could see of it, looked run down but recently cleaned up. The wallpaper was yellowed with age and the curtains over the window were greyed with dust, making his nose itch in anticipation for a good sneeze.

He looked at Keito with questioning eyes. "Where are we?" This wasn't Keito's small home. He didn't have wallpaper.

"We be in the Old Shinra Mansion. It was the safest place to bring the three o' yeh. Despite the monsters that took over this place," Keito explained.

"Is Momma okay," Wind asked.

When he saw Keito hesitate, Wind began to fear the worst. "What's wrong? Where is she? Tell me!"

Keito heaved a great sad sigh of sadness and shut his eyes to block out Wind's frantic face. "She's still livin'. But I fear that she won't be lastin' much longer. Her back is torn up. I don' have the skill to heal her up proper. Even wit Cure materia, it would only delay her passin'. I'm sorry child. I did that best I could. But it's not enough. Only good thing to happen this week is that you woke up before her time came. Hopefully yer brother will too."

As Keito spoke, Wind listened on with a heartbroken expression, tears overflowing and running down his cheeks. With a heartrending sob, he curled further into Cloud's arms and hid his face against his brother's chest. He heard Keito stand up, felt his hand on his shoulder, heard his quiet condolences, and listened as he left the room. The moment the door was shut, he shoved his face further into Cloud's chest and wailed out his sorrow. Cloud, though still unconscious, instinctively held Wind closer, trying to give whatever comfort he could.

* * *

When Cloud finally awoke a few hours later, it was to a tear soaked shirt and a weakly sobbing Wind. It took a bit of comforting and gentle persuasion, but when Wind finally told him the situation, he too began wailing out his sorrow. Another hour later and both were calmer yet were still letting loose little hiccuping sobs and sniffling. Having someone there to mourn with you can make it a little easier to calm down after all.

Cloud pushed himself up into a sitting position, not caring about the pain it caused, intending to find hismother and sit with her. Wind, of course, followed suit. Looking around, they saw that they had been in the same room as their mother the entire time.

She was laying on her stomach, her whole torso covered in bandages. Her skin was pale and sweaty. Her hair was up in a messy bun that was also soaked in sweat. Every breath she took was labored and the set of her face showed that she felt pain, even in her sleep.

The boys stumbled out of bed, pain and tight bandages making it difficult, and tottered over to their mother's bed. Cloud took her hand on one side and Wind too the other. Sidding on the floor next to the bed and leaning against it, they tried to both give and take comfort in their mother's presence.

* * *

Keito eventually returned and didn't say a word about them being out of bed. He brought them soup, bread and pain killers, and offered them pillows to sit on. Days passed and a routine was soon established. Keito would walk in, help them clean and change bandages and they would help him feed their unconscious mother luke warm soup. and wipe her face with a cool damp cloth. Then they would eat their own fill of soup an bread which was the best that Keito could give them. Being a bit of a lazy old bachelor ensured that he didn't make or use time to make anything more complicated. He also had plenty in supply.

A week after waking up, the boys were more depressed as Helena still had not awakened. Keito had declared them healed enough to do some exercises to keep their scars from becoming too stiff. He also applied stronger lotions to keep the scarred skin supple, yet strong. The boys protested at first, not wanting to leave their mother's side. Keito was firm though, an he got them jogging up and down the hall as he stood watch for danger. He did compromise, though, and had them do simple yet lengthy, stretches in the room. They almost never took their eyes off their mother.

Two weeks after the boys awoke, she looked worse. Her skin was sickly pale, her face twisted in pain, her eyes were sunken, showing how much weight she lost, her temperature was abnormally high, and breathing was labored. Keito began leaving the window open constantly, in traditional hope for her soul to leave easily and peacefully. The boys both appreciated, and hated, it.

On the beginning of the third week of their awakening, the fourth week after the fire, Keito was preparing to head home for the first time since. He ensured that the boys were taken care of first then collected his things. As he headed for the door, he heard a groan. It definitely wasn't one of the boys. It was too weak, deep, and feminine to be them. He quickly turned towards Helena and, with wide amazed eyes, saw her move. She was attempting to push herself up while looking in the direction of her sons. The boys finally noticed and rushed to her side with twin cries of 'Momma!' passing their lips. Keito moved forward as well and pt a few pillows under her head, chest and stomach, explaining that her back was too damaged to sit any other way.

When she was comfortably elevated and smiling at her boys, Keito backed off to give them some privacy, but stayed close enough to be of help. Wind and Cloud both kissed her cheeks, careful not to hurt her. She smiled and kissed their brow in return. Then her smile turned sad as she looked them over, taking in their now exposed scars and the eyes that they each kept shut. Her eyes showed regret, as if she had news that she knew they would not want, but had, to accept.

Looking each of them in the eye, she spoke in a serious tone, "my boys, my beautiful children. I'm only awake now because Hela, Herself, allows me to. So that I may speak with you one last time." Seeing their confusion turn into comprehending horror, she hurriedly continued, "my back is too damaged and it was by sheer will that I had not left you yet. Hela admired my determination and our tenacity to survive, so she is allowing me to say my final goodbyes. Something uncommon to happen at all. She likened us to Her and Her Brothers and Father in the opposition we faced in the village and the opposition They faced with Odin and his ilk." Wincing as her back gave a sharp stab of pain, she changed the subject, not wanting to anger the currently benevolent Goddess by wasting too much time.*

"I have one last lesson to give the both of you. It is a song passed down from parent to child for generations in our family. And you are family, Wind, adopted or not (he had made a move to leave). This song is your right too. Now my sons. Listen and learn. Etch it into your hearts for it is a song suited to us whom worship Loki and his family. For those of us in our situation in this village. Let it's words both sooth you and make you wary. For they are Truth. Take this last lesson and cherish it."

And with that, she sang. The low bell like tone of her voice, strong and steady despite her pain and weakness, gave the song a soothing quality. It was calming and could lure an infant to sleep, you could just hear a melody in the background accompanying it. Even though there were wasn't any instruments playing or even near the mansion. Keito relaxed as he listened, caught in it's soothing candence. Then he caught the lyrics. The words were eerie and somewhat disturbing. Calling one to follow, yet giving warning of unavoidable hardships ahead. The combination of words and tone gave the song a contradicting sound of soothing and depression. It was slightly alarming.**

By the time she finished singing, the boys had tears running down their, now calm, faces. Smiling at the result, Helena asked them to sing it back to her. The boys showed that they had an excellent memory and sung it back, matching it word for word and tone for tone. The both of them singing the eerie song gave it an even more eerie feeling. It was unsettling to Keito.

When the last word of the song and invisible music faded, Helena surprised them all. She suddenly sad up, pulling her legs beneath her, and grabbed her boys with surprising strength into a tight hug. She whispered in their ears words of praise and giving off a feeling of pride. She then pulled back, gave Keito a look of gratitude, kissed her boys on their brows, and said to them, "boys, never forget that I love you and always will. Take care of each other. Stay strong and never let _anyone_ get you down. Don't let us meet too soon. I'll watch over you." She hugged them again, even tighter, strangely not hurting them. Then she suddenly burst into pyreflies. The boys watched with shock in their eyes as the pyreflies circled them twice and flowed out the still open window. As Keito bowed his head and shut his eyes in prayer to wish her a safe journey through the Lifestream, a large number of pyreflies split off from the rest. They doubled back towards the still watching boys, divided evenly, and flowed _into_ the boys' scars and the damaged eyes hidden by closed, scarred, lids.

The boys shut their working eyes as they experienced an influx of information, knowledge. Knowledge on hunting, farming, fishing, tanning animals skins and furs, cooking, camping, communication with wolves, using materia, _surviving!_ They gained knowledge of where their mother hid the protected metal box of documents and materia. They learned about herbal medicines. They _learned_. Lastly they learned how deep their mother's love ran. Learned of her plan to make sure they received such knowledge.

They cried, silent tears pouring down their faces, looking out the window with love and thanks. In thanks for their mother's last gift to them

_They live for __**her**__._

* * *

* I believe that the spirit of the Lifestream, the spirit of the Planet, shows itself in the form of what ever deity that a person worships. The Wutaians and their gods. Genesis and his Goddess. And Helena and her goddess Hel or 'Hela'. It's not meant to offend so please don't be.

** This is the song that I believe she was singing. It's what came to mind. I did not write it and the identity of the writer is under constant debate as far as I can tell.

Come little children

I'll take thee away

into a land of Enchantment

Come little children

the time's come to play

here in my garden of Shadows

Follow sweet children

I'll show thee the way

through all the pain and the Sorrows

Weep not poor children

for life is this way

murdering beauty and Passions

Hush now dear children

it must be this way

to weary of life and Deceptions

Rest now my children

for soon we'll away

into the calm and the Quiet

Come little children

I'll take thee away

into a land of Enchantment

Come little children

the time's come to play

here in my garden of Shadows

If you want to hear what the song sounds like, look up "come little children". Keep in mind that the Hocus Pocus version is incomplete tho.

AN: Chapter finished! Sorry that it took so long. I hope that the length makes up for it! Wow. I kinda got sucked into my own story. Work and overheating also made it hard to think of what to write next.

Anyways! You know the drill pple! Hit that lovely button and review! Just always keep in mind that rudeness will be answered in rudeness on the next chapter. Aka: public flaming!

Ja ne ~


	10. petition

Hi, we could really use your help.

We have already started a petition against what Fanfiction is trying to do so PLEASE help us in anyway you can. Fanfiction are trying place restrictions on violence and **/smut/slash/lemon and anything related (aka romantic fics). This will effect those who are trying to improve their writing skills by not allowing them to show their true potential, especially those who mainly write for adults enjoyment.

Please help us by sighing the Petition against what is happening and please send this to your friends or those who have created stories, and rated them 'M'or have any violence in them.

Thank you

:

www(dot)ipetitions(dot)com/petition/lemons-for-fanfiction/


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